New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Wednesday that it will award four grants to community organizations in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts under the Grant Per Diem, or GPD, program.
The grants allow up to 97 Veterans experiencing homelessness access to transitional housing, an increase of 10 beds to the area served by the VA Providence Healthcare System. The GPD program provides funding to community organizations that provide transitional housing and supportive services for homeless Veterans, with the goal of helping homeless Veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels and income, and obtain greater self-determination.
“No Veteran should have to worry about whether they will have stable housing,” said Lawrence Connell, Director of the VA Providence HCS. “These GPD grants are an important part of the services and resources VA offers to help Veterans exit homelessness.”
The award period begins Oct. 1 to support three different types of grants to address the unique needs of Veterans who are homeless:
1. Per Diem Only grants are used to provide transitional housing beds and operate service centers for Veterans experiencing homelessness. These grants provide funding in the form of per diem payments to reimburse grantees for the cost of care provided to Veterans during the award period.
2. Special Need grants provide funding to organizations that incur additional operational costs to help Veterans with special needs who are experiencing homelessness, including women, individuals with chronic mental illnesses and Veterans who care for minor dependents.
3. Transition in Place grants provide funding to community agencies that place Veterans experiencing homelessness in transitional housing, while also providing them with supportive services. These services are designed to help Veterans become more stable and independent, with the ultimate goal of Veterans assuming full responsibility for the lease or other housing agreement. When that goal has been achieved, the transitional residence becomes the Veteran’s permanent residence and supportive services come to an end.
The GPD program has provided Veterans who are homeless with community-based transitional housing and supportive services since 1994. The number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has declined by 50 percent since 2010 – resulting from the GPD program and other VA efforts.
More information about the GPD program and a list of grantees is available at https://www.va.gov/homeless/gpd.asp.
